HOW TO FIND THESE DEALS: The best deals usually have a limited amount of seats, so act fast. If the fare isn't listed on the airline site or on search sites such as Sidestep or Kayak, call a travel agent immediately. They can often access fares that aren't yet published to the public websites. See our Booking and Planning Guide for many more tips and resources.
TODAY'S HOT DEALS
The following deals do not have a ticket-by date which means that the bargains can disappear at any second. Buy these offers immediately and then figure out why you want to go there!
HOT! AirTran is slashing rates to select cities on trips completed by May 26. One-way rates of $64 are available to New York or Pittsburgh ; $74 to Boston ; $99 to Los Angeles or Phoenix ; $104Denver and $112 to San Francisco . For rules, see details at the main AirTran sale below in the Domestic Deals section. Delta matches. ---------- One-way rates of $64 are valid to Ft. Lauderdale, Miami and W. Palm Beach on trips completed by September 29. A 14-day advance purchase required. Travel any available day. No blackouts! Valid on AirTran. Delta matches; American matches to Miami. Inclusive rate: $74.70. ---------- One-way rates on Continental to Cancun are $74 on trips completed by March 10. A 10-day advance purchase required. Valid Tuesday, Wednesday only. Inclusive rate: $122.97. ---------- Travel any available day through December 26 to Nassau for $99 each way. No blackouts or minimum stay required. Valid on Delta. Add up to $100 for inclusive pricing. Valid also on AirTran through August 25. A 14-day advance purchase required. ---------- GO NOW! One-way rates to Cancun of $100 require no advance purchase notice. Complete travel by September 29. Travel any available day of the week. No blackouts! Valid on AirTran. Inclusive rate: $143.22. ---------- NEW!GO NOW! One-way rates on United to Puerto Vallarta are $104 on trips completed by January 1, 2011. Flight service is offered Saturdays only via Chicago. No advance purchase required. No blackouts! Inclusive rate: $234.54. ---------- One-way rates of $110 to Grand Junction , Colorado are valid any day of the week. A 14-day advance purchase required. No blackouts. Complete travel by December 26. Valid on American, Continental, Delta. United. ---------- Travel one-way with Frontier to Durango for just $112 on trips taken over the next 10 months. A 14-day advance purchase required. Valid Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday only. Inclusive rate: $123.20. ---------- GO NOW! The following one-way rates are valid on Saturdays and Sundays on trips completed by March 7 :
$114 Chicago, Orlando, Miami, W. Palm Beach, Ft. Lauderdale
$119 Detroit
$124 Washington DC
$139 Boston or New York City
$149 Phoenix
$159 Denver
$169 Las Vegas
$174 San Diego
$189 San Francisco No advance purchase required. ---------- One-way rates of $119 to San Juan, Puerto Rico are valid on trips completed by December 30 with Delta; September 29 with AirTran. A 7-day advance purchase required. Travel any available day. No blackouts! Valid on frequent daily nonstop flights. Inclusive rate: $142.10. ---------- WOW! Here's a great savings opportunity for summer vacations! Pay $139 each way to Spokane, Washington on trips completed by August 13. A 14-day advance purchase required. Travel any available day. No blackouts. Valid on most carriers. Inclusive rate: $160.40. ---------- GO NOW! One-way rates of $151 to Montreal, Quebec are valid any available day without advance purchase notice. Blackouts: February 21; March 14, 21, 28; April 18, 25; May 14, 16, 21; June 11, 13, 18, 25; July 2, 16, 18, 25, 29, 31; August 1, 2; September 3 or November 28. Complete travel by December 30. Valid on USAirways. Inclusive rate: $190.65. ---------- WOW! Travel on any weekend through April 5 to Steamboat Springs-Hayden, Colorado at $162 round-trip. Valid on Saturday departures and returns on the following Monday or Tuesday. An advance purchase is not required. Valid on American. Inclusive rate: $183.40. ---------- One-way rates of $159 to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands (no passport require for U.S. citizens!) require a 28-day advance purchase notice. Travel any available day. Complete travel by December 30. No blackouts! Valid on Delta. Inclusive rate: $182.10. ---------- GO NOW! Round-trip rates of $200 to Stockholm, Sweden require no advance purchase notice. Travel any available day. Stay a Saturday night to 30 days. Complete travel by April 5. Two free stopovers permitted in Zurich. Valid on Swiss. Inclusive rate: $620.40 (compare to $878 on other carriers). Two flight connections in Chicago and Zurich. ---------- An extremely low sale rate of $318 to Oaxaca, Mexico requires a 21-day advance purchase. Travel any available day and stay at least any three nights. Complete travel by December 30. Valid on Continental. Inclusive rate: $429. ---------- Round-trip rates of $348 to Acapulco and $358 to Puerto Vallarta are valid any available day of the week. A 21-day advance purchase notice required. Stay a minimum of three nights on Monday-Wednesday or Sunday departures. Stay a Saturday night on Thursday or Friday departures. No blackouts. Complete travel by December 30. Valid on Continental. Inclusive rates: $453.81 ACA; $461.51 PVR. ---------- Round-trip rates of $354 to Eleuthera, Bahamas require no advance purchase notice. Travel any available day. Stay up to 30 days. No blackouts! Complete travel by December 30. Valid on American. Inclusive rate: $434.20. ---------- Here's a way to get to Honolulu on the cheap! Delta is currently offering a round-trip rate of $300 to Oahu from Los Angeles on trips completed by March 13. That rate is valid any available day without an advance purchase notice. But combine that rate with a current sale to Los Angeles from Atlanta for an inclusive round-trip rate of $524.99. That inclusive price is based on Tuesday or Wednesday travel. Rates are slightly higher for other days. The ATL-LAX portion of the fare requires a 10-day advance purchase notice. ---------- Plan summer of '10 now with an American Airlines round-trip rate of $650 to Juneau, Alaska. A 21-day advance purchase required. Travel any available day. Stay a weekend to a month. No blackouts. Complete travel by December 30. Inclusive rate: $704.20 (compare to Delta's $956.40!).
DOMESTIC DEALS
AirTran deals good through May! Purchase these one-way rates through February 9:
$79 Akron-Canton, Bloomington, Branson, Buffalo, Columbus, Dayton, Detroit, Flint, Ft. Lauderdale, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Nassau, Orlando, Pittsburgh, Rochester, Sarasota, St. Louis, Tampa, W. Palm Beach
$84 Baltimore, Chicago, Ft. Myers, Kansas City, Miami, Moline, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Wichita
$89 Boston, Houston
$94 Dallas, Minneapolis, New York LaGuardia, San Antonio, White Plains
$99 Cancun, Portland ME
$109 Montego Bay
$119 Key West, Phoenix, San Juan
$129 Aruba, Denver
$139 Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco
$142 Seattle
A 10-day advance purchase required. Travel is valid to/from Florida, San Juan, Aruba, Montego Bay, Nassau, and Cancun through March 10. Travel is valid to/from all other destinations through May 26. Valid Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays with additional sale fares available on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. Blackouts: April 2-3, 10-11. Valid on AirTran.
Expanded sale rates When AirTran runs a nationwide sale, other matching carriers carry sale rates over to nearby destinations not on AirTran's route map. Here are some examples::
$158 Cincinnati
$188 Austin
$208 Grand Rapids, Palm Springs or Santa Barbara
$228 Lubbock or Tucson
$244 Oakland and San Jose, California
$288 Colorado Springs
$344 Reno-Tahoe
Follow the AirTran rules above. Add up to $25 for inclusive pricing. Visit Kayak for info on participating carriers.
Think snow! Purchase these round-trip rates through March 1:
$278 Gunnison-Crested Butte
$288 Steamboat Springs-Hayden
Stay 3-30 days. Complete travel by March 28. No blackouts. Valid on Delta/NWA to Gunnison; Continental, Delta/NWA and United to Steamboat Springs. Add an additional $20 for inclusive pricing.
Olympic site sale NEW! One-way rates of $158 to Vancouver, British Columbia are valid on trips completed by March 10. A 14-day advance purchase required. Valid Tuesday-Thursday or add $85 for other days. Purchase by February 18. Inclusive rate: $199.83.
Spot Caribbean deals Round-trip rates of $353 to St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands (no passport required for U.S. citizens!) are valid on trips started on or after January 19. Stay 2-30 days. Complete travel by May 16. Add $15 per direction for Friday-Sunday travel. Blackouts: March 27-April 12. Purchase by February 9. Valid on Delta. Add about $100 for inclusive pricing. ---------- GO NOW! Round-trip rates of $357 to the Turks & Caicos require no advance purchase notice. Travel any available day. Stay 2-30 nights. Complete travel by May 28. Blackouts: March 26-April 16. Valid on Delta or American. Purchase by February 9. Add up to $100 for inclusive pricing. ---------- TODAY!GO NOW! Round-trip rates of $388 to Bermuda require no advance purchase notice and are valid any available day. Stay a Saturday night to a month. Complete travel by April 30. No blackouts. Purchase by February 8. Valid on Delta nonstop. Inclusive rate: $552.50.
Mexico, Latin & South American specials TODAY!GO NOW! Round-trip rates to San Jose, Costa Rica are sale priced at $232 on purchase made by February 8. Travel any available day. No advance purchase required. Stay at least any two nights. Complete travel by April 1. Valid on American. ---------- Delta offers Cabo San Lucas, Baja at $418 round-trip on travel completed by May 28. No advance purchase required. Travel any available day (daily nonstop service). Stay a Saturday night to one month. Purchase by February 15. Inclusive rate: $522.60.
EUROPE FACTOIDS:Unless otherwise noted, economy class airfares to Europe require a Saturday night minimum stay, returns within a month of departure and a 7-day advance notice of travel. Also, the lowest rates are based on mid-week travel. Add supplements of $20-$30 each way for Friday, Saturday departures or Friday-Sunday returns (and/or Friday-Sunday, each way; varies by destinaion/carrier). An exception is British Airways with off-peak days being Monday-Wednesday. Rates are exclusive of taxes, fees and fuel surcharges which can add from $200-$480 to the base rates shown below.
Spot sales to Europe Round-trip rates of $285 to Lisbon are valid on departures through March 18. Purchase by February 11. Valid on Air Canada, Continental, Delta, USAirways. Inclusive rate: $648.20. ---------- Start and end a trip to London from Chattanooga to qualify for a round-trip rate of $295. A 14-day advance purchase required. Add $20 per direction for Thursday-Sunday travel. Depart by March 28. Stay a Saturday night to one year. Purchase by February 11. Valid on Delta with other carriers matching. Inclusive rate: $699.70 (compare to $847 from Atlanta). ---------- NEW!THINK SPRING! Travel with Delta to Zurich for $390 round-trip on March 19-May 15 departures. Depart Sunday-Thursday and return Monday-Thursday. Add $30 per direction for other travel days. Purchase by February 11. Inclusive rate: $766. ---------- KLM offers a round-trip rate of $400 to Stockholm, Sweden on March 19-May 15 departures. Depart Sunday-Thursday and return Monday-Thursday. Add $30 per direction for other travel days. Purchase by February 11. Inclusive rate: $803.20. ---------- GO NOW! Round-trip rates of $418 to Warsaw or Krakow are valid on departures through March 25. No advance purchase required. Depart Sunday-Thursday; return Monday-Thursday. Add $25 per direction for other days. Stay a Saturday night to 90 days. Purchase by February 23. Valid on Delta, KLM. Inclusive rate: $851.10. ---------- NEW!THINK SPRING! Round-trip rates of $450 to Frankfurt or Munich are valid on departures from March 26-May 15. Purchase by February 28. Valid on Delta. Add up to $400 for inclusive pricing.
More discounts to Europe Purchase these round-trip rates through February 11:
$299 / $520 Barcelona or Madrid
$398 / $648 Rome
$409 / $645 Brussels
$415 / $580 Frankfurt
$430 / $658 Venice
$432 / $470 Zurich
$460 / $499 London
$473 / $547 Budapest
$482 / $649 Athens
$490 / $775 Amsterdam
$515 / $658 Paris
$613 / $723 Prague
$668 / $775 Shannon
A 14-day advance purchase required. The lower rate is valid on departures through March 18. The higher rate is valid on March 19-May 15 departures. Stay a weekend to a month with most carriers or up to one year on British Airways. Add up to $25 per direction for Friday, Saturday departures and Friday-Sunday returns. Most carriers participating. Add up to $425 for inclusive pricing.
Winter through Autumn 2010 consolidator rates to Europe! Purchase these round-trip rates through March 31:
$463 / $645 / $869 Amsterdam
$443 / $625 / $849 Brussels
$363 / $531 / $905 Frankfurt
$261 / $452 / $620 London
$475 / $630 / $1006 Madrid
$411 / $733 / $1123 Milan
$542 / $740 / $1154 Moscow
$380 / $667 / $1136 Paris
$411 / $733 / $1123 Rome
$457 / $704 / $1099 Zurich
Add $30 per direction for Thursday-Sunday travel days. The lowest rates are valid on departures started by March 31; the middle rate from April 1-May 31 or September 1-October 28. The highest rates apply on June 1-August 31 departures. Stay a Saturday night to 90 days. Taxes and fuel surcharges are additional ($300+/-). Valid on American Airlines, but reservations must be booked online with Atlanta-based Consolidator Web Fares. Many other offers available online or by phone to 678-462-8737. Down Under deals Air New Zealand and Qantas both offer a $908 round-trip rate to Sydney on May 1-June 8 or July 24-September 21 departures. Travel any available day. Purchase by February 23. Qantas matches this rate to Auckland, New Zealand. Inclusive rate: $1,211.30.
Save to Africa, India, Middle East GO NOW! Round-trip rates of $605 to Amman, Jordan and $908 to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania are valid any available day on departures through March 25. No advance purchase required. Stay a Saturday night to 90 days. Purchase by February 23. Valid on Delta/NWA. Add up to $400 for inclusive pricing. ---------- Round-trip rates of $637 to Accra, Ghana are valid on departures through March 18. Other sale cities include Nairobi Kenya at $723 and Cape Town at $837. A 14-day advance purchase required. Depart Sunday-Thursday and return Monday-Thursday. Add $20 per direction for travel on other days. Purchase by February 11. Valid on many carriers. Add up to $400 for inclusive pricing. ---------- Travel with Northwest/KLM to Tel Aviv at $699 round-trip. Travel any available day. Depart by March 23. Stay a weekend to one year. Purchase by March 15. Delta, United/Lufthansa matching. Inclusive rate: $1,123.40.
OTHER TRAVEL DEALS
For wheel deals... Do a side-by-side comparison of all rental car company rates in most domestic and international markets at BreezeNet .
NEED TO KNOW & FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
REMEMBER! International fees, taxes and surcharges (examples: fuel surcharges are $105 each way transatlantic; $110 transpacific; $123 Israel; $140 Jordan or Dubai; $125 South America and $95-$140 India/Africa) can add up to $400 to base rates, depending on destination city/routing. Also, fuel surcharges to Mexico are $54 round-trip. Also, deals listed as no expiration of travel are based on trips taken over the next 331 days, or the advance booking window offered by most airlines. Certain low-fare airlines such as AirTran and Southwest have short booking windows.
Why are my ticket prices always higher than what Clark mentions? Airline, airport and other government fees are NOT included in prices listed on this page or those Clark mentions on the air. Here is a rough guide of the 'extras': Domestic: 7.5 percent tax; $3.20 per flight federal segment fee; a maximum of $18 in airport charges; $2.50 per flight segment security fee
What's the best way to buy an airline ticket? Clark's listeners and Web visitors have had great success in finding his 'deals' at Travelocity. At the Home page enter your city pairs and then click at the 'Flexible dates' button - don't enter dates. If the domestic fare is still published, the next page will display the airline and the price you seek, inclusive of taxes, fees. Click at 'Select' to view calendars with available dates.
The Flexible date search for international rates can be found at zuji - a Travelocity site based outside of the U.S. To access the flex-seach tool, click on "Other" in the area that reads, "Please select your location from the list below to access the best deals from your local ZUJI website." Then, select the "Flights" tab and "Flexible date" option.
Shop for the lowest worldwide rates here (you can log in as a guest or register for future use). For a wide range of available sale dates (rates shown are inclusive of all taxes, fees), click on the Month Search button at the top right. You cannot book directly from this site, but complete an online purchase directly at an airline Web site.
Click here for a list of phone numbers and Web sites for all U.S. airlines; here for international carriers. And, search official Web sites of tourism offices around the worldhere.
Can I search sales for a specific city? Easy. Cut to the chase and find out if a particular city is on sale! Click the Control key and "F" key together to create your own search box and enter a desired city. If offered, you'll be taken to sale details.
-------------------------DISCLAIMER------------------------- Members of Team Clark Howard, the Consumer Action Center, and the studios of AM 750 WSB cannot assist individuals with booking airline tickets, other modes of travel - nor provide airline flight information. When you need assistance, contact either a professional travel agent or travel company.
